Dead and Back Again
by authoressintears
Summary: When Legolas is captured on a mission, it is up to Aragorn to find him. But what he finds will bring up old memories that he would rather not remember. WARNING: Contains spoilers for the story "A Dying Light".
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable characters, those all belong to Tolkien. Bow to the Tolkien, the Tolkien is genius.**

Part 1

The sun filtered through the dense canopy of the forest illuminating the animals walking slowly through the undergrowth. They went casually about their business, ignoring the lone elf who walked silently in their midst. His golden hair and emerald-green tunic blended in perfectly with his surroundings until he was almost impossible to see among the trees. He smiled at the serenity of his surroundings and paused to listen to the sounds of the forest around him.

His reverie was interrupted by a shout from behind him and he turned to see two more elves dropped out of the trees in front of him. He smiled as they slowly stood up, brushing their long hair out of their eyes.

"Meldiron, Alyan what are you doing out here?" He smiled at the friends before him, until he noticed the serious looks on their faces. "What's wrong?"

"Thranduil sent us," Alyan said simply.

"He said to tell you that you are late for the council meeting today, Legolas," Meldiron finished quietly.

Legolas looked form elf to another. "Are you sure the council meeting is now?" he asked in disbelief. He was sure Thranduil had told him it was after dinner, yet it was still early afternoon.

"The council requested the meeting be pushed up shortly after you left this morning," Alyan said as the trio began the long walk back to the palace.

"But why?" Legolas asked, picking up the pace slightly. "What reason could they possibly have? The meeting has been scheduled for months."

Meldiron shrugged. "I'm sorry, Legolas. But we're only guards. We only know what Thranduil told us."

Legolas nodded and continued walking in silence, thinking over what he had been told. He couldn't understand why the council would move up the meeting, but he also knew they must have had a good reason because they were not known to do things on a whim.

As the palace came into sight Legolas resisted the urge to sprint the last stretch; he knew it would look worse if the Prince of Mirkwood showed up to a special council meeting flushed and out of breath. Instead he stilled his breathing and concentrated on settling his racing heart. He knew his father was probably furious with him for leaving the palace. Legolas was supposed to have been checking supplies all morning, but the shipment had been delayed by orc attacks so he had had the entire day to himself and had chosen to spend it wandering through the forest. It had been awhile since he had been able to wander freely without any obligations, not since the last time he had been in Rivendell visiting with Aragorn in fact. He smiled, remembering that Aragorn was due to arrive in Mirkwood within the week, and stopped as he realized that he was already outside the council chambers. He nodded briefly to Meldiron and Alyan before taking a deep breath and entering the room.

Legolas tried not to flush as the chamber instantly quieted and all eyes turned to stare at the prince. The silence was soon broken, however, as King Thranduil stood up to address his son.

"Glad you could join us, Prince Legolas," Thranduil said calmly, his tone clearly saying that they would talk about this later. Legolas nodded slightly towards the council members before taking his seat next to his father, hoping his face wasn't as red as it felt. Thranduil nodded to an elder council member at the far end of the table before sitting back down.

"Thank you, your Majesties," the elf said with a slight bow. "I'm sorry about the sudden change of this meeting but it was necessary for the news I'm about to tell." The elf paused for a moment to let his words sink in before continuing.

"As I'm sure you're all painfully aware, part of our fair forest have fallen into darkness. Fearsome creatures now room these woods, including giant spiders and wargs." Legolas nodded absently with the others. Everyone in Mirkwood knew of this, but it wasn't anything new and it certainly didn't warrant a special council meeting.

Apparently Thranduil was thinking the same thing his son was. "Could you please get to the point?" The King said suddenly, looking the older elf in the eye. "We were told you had some serious new to report but so far all we've heard is what is common knowledge to every else in these woods." The other council members murmured their agreement and the elder elf bowed slightly.

"Forgive me, my lord," he said respectfully. "I was just giving some background information for your benefit but I see it is not needed. As you know I have been sifting through the reports that the scouts bring back, paying careful attention to any hints of spider attacks or dwarven invasions or what you. However, I received a new report that requires our attention immediately before all of Mirkwood is overrun."

"Overrun by whom?" a younger council member asked suddenly, the uncertainty evident in his voice.

"Not whom," the elder elf said gravely. "But what. According to the report I received the scouts have been disappearing from their posts at night only to be found dead the next morning completely drained of blood. Whatever this creature is, it is fast as an elf and just as strong and the attacks only occur at night."

"Which is why you asked the council meeting to be moved up," Legolas said. "You were afraid the creature would…"

"Yes," the elder council member said simply. "Since the creature seems to be nocturnal, I was afraid the creature would somehow overhear any plans we might make at this meeting should it have been held later. From what I understand it's cunning and smart; I wouldn't be surprised if it could understand us."

"You're not suggesting that this creature is a member of one of the high races," another council member said with disbelief from across the table.

"No, of course not," the elder elf said. "However, reports seem to indicate that it is similar to an orc, but derived from humans instead." Legolas pondered the elf's words as the room erupted into chaos. Each council member stood up from the table as they strived to be heard over each other. Only Legolas and Thranduil kept their composure and their seats. Legolas looked over at his father and tried not to grimace as he saw the elf king's face darken in anger. He had never actually seen his father lose his temper at the council meetings, but they say there is a first time for everything.

"Please," Thranduil said as calmly as he could. "Sit down before I'm forced to call in guards to restrain you. If we're going to solve this problem we need to at least act civilized." The council members looked at each other, the embarrassment evident on their faces, before sitting down slowly. Thranduil nodded once before continuing, "First, we need to verify these reports. I don't want to send an entire contingent out without know what's there."

The other elves nodded, thinking over what Thranduil had said, but were otherwise silent. Finally Legolas spoke up. "If you'll permit me, my lord," he said, looking at Thranduil. "Let me take a small party out to investigate. We'll pretend to be hunters so the creature doesn't suspect anything and we'll see if there is any truth to these claims."

Thranduil thought about it for a moment. He knew what Legolas said made sense, but he wished it wasn't his only son who would have to go. He wasn't going to give his councilors a reason to doubt his son, though. If Legolas was going to become king someday they needed to know that they could trust him to do anything for the elves of Mirkwood. Finally, he nodded his assent.

"Permission granted, Prince Legolas," Thranduil said, standing up to signal the end of the meeting. The other elves followed suite. "Gather your best men. You ride out in the morning. This meeting is finished. We'll reconvene when Prince Legolas returns and formulate a plan based on his findings."

The council members nodded and bowed to the two royals before calmly exiting the chamber. Legolas glanced over at his father and sighed inwardly; he was in for it now. He moved over to stand in front of the elf king as the last council member exited and Thranduil sat back down in his chair, massaging his temples absently.

"Adar," Legolas began calmly. "Let me just-" Thranduil held his hand up and Legolas stopped as his father slowly shook his head.

"I don't want to hear it right now, Legolas," Thranduil said. "This news, if it is true, will be devastating to Mirkwood and our people. And, whether it's true or not, it only gives me more reason to not let you go out without an armed guard. Do you realize that I had no idea where to find you after you took off this morning? Did you even think about telling me about the delayed shipments? Imagine my surprise when Calamir came into my chambers this morning to apologize for not coming sooner with the report of the orc raids. I, of course, had no idea what he was talking about and then he tells me that you left early this morning after being informed that the shipments would not arrive for at least a week. What if I had needed you? What if there had been an accident?"

Thranduil's voice was raised at this point and he paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. Legolas remained motionless, his face an unreadable mask. In a way he knew his deserved his father's anger, but he also felt his father was overreacting.

"Father," he said slowly, choosing his words carefully. "I only went to talk a walk through the woods. Nothing happened while I was gone and I needed a break from the palace. Everything is fine."

"No, Legolas," Thranduil said with a sigh. "Everything is not fine. You're a prince and you can't just decide to take a break from your responsibilities. And you shouldn't be out by yourself either! Too much rests on your shoulders for you to be careless."

"I am not careless," Legolas said with more force than he intended. "I know my responsibilities but I will not be babied and I will not stay in the palace forever. That's not who I am! I need to escape sometimes and I am an experienced warrior, I can take care of myself."

Thranduil snorted. "You cannot know what the future holds and you cannot know that you will always be fine by yourself! And as your king and your father you _will_ listen to me and abide by my rules. If I tell you to take an armed escort with you then you will! And you will not leave the palace without telling me and taking and escort with you. Do you not realize how important you are? Or do you not care about the future of Mirkwood?"

"Don't," Legolas said softly, trying to remain stoic. "Don't put that on me. I love these woods and her people, that's why I leave by myself. I need to enjoy what goodness remains while I can." He paused for a moment to gather his emotions before looking up at his father again. "If you'll permit me, sire, I need to get ready for tomorrow." With that he bowed low to the elven king and walked stiffly out of the room, resisting the urge to turn around and yell at his father.

Thranduil sighed as the doors closed behind his son. He knew he shouldn't have lost it, but the thought of a new type of orc, one obviously superior to a normal one, unnerved him. The consequences of such a creature being loose in Mirkwood would be devastating, not to mention the question about who created such a monster. He was worried about his son, but he also knew Legolas was right. He couldn't keep his locked away in the palace and he was a very skilled warrior. He just wished that Legolas understood how Thranduil felt every time he left on his worn. Maybe then he would listen to him and take an escort with him when he left. The elven king laughed darkly and stood up from his seat.

"And maybe someday orcs will learn how to fly," he said quietly before quickly exiting the darkening chamber.

XXXXXXXXXX

Legolas smiled slightly as he gazed out at the night sky, one leg dangling inside his room the other resting on the sill of the open window. Thranduil hated when he sat like that, but it made him feel better to know that he could defy his father without him knowing; besides the fact that the window was his favorite place to sit and think.

The prince had already set up the fake hunting party for the next day and was glad that both Meldiron and Alyan were able to accompany him. As two of his best friends he was looking forward to being able to actually spend time with them outside of the palace. True, they were hunting and unknown human-orc thing, but it was still better than normal.

Legolas' mind began to wander as he thought about what he was leaving to do. He didn't like not knowing what he was after, but he also knew that that was that whole point of a scouting party. And he enjoyed the challenge of hunting a monster, and the one described by the council seemed overly challenging. But he knew they were exaggerating. Being all alone in the dark parts of the woods the scouts probably got frightened or lazy and a spider got them. Spiders were common in Mirkwood now and it wouldn't surprise the prince at all if they were dealing with a new species or something.

He sighed at the thought of traveling into the dark realms, but he knew he had to do it and with that in mind he climbed slowly down from the window sill and went to sleep. His dreams permeated with thoughts of spiders and his friend Aragorn.

XXXXXXXXXX

"We are all ready, Prince Legolas, whenever you are," Meldiron said with mock formality, bowing overly low to the prince.

"Will you stop it, Meldiron?" Legolas said with a laugh, nudging his horse past him. "Let us go before it gets too light out!" With that he motioned for the rest of the guards to follow him and out they went leaving Meldiron to grab his horse and gallop to catch up.

Legolas and Alyan laughed as Meldiron trotted up next to them, an indignant look on his face. Alyan nudged the other elf gently causing him to break out in a smile.

"You know, Legolas," Meldiron said calmly. "I was only trying to be polite."

"Since when are you polite?" Alyan asked skeptically. "You are usually the one instigating the trouble and playing practical jokes on our poor, innocent prince."

"Poor innocent prince?" Legolas asked in disbelief. "I vividly remember it was me who got you both in trouble with Calamir over a broken cask of wine."

"Don't remind me!" Meldiron said in mock agony. "We spent over two weeks in that cellar as punishment." Legolas and Alyan laughed at the look on their friend's face, the sound echoing merrily through the trees.

Soon, however, the laughter was cut short as the party entered the dark section of the Mirkwood. The elves glanced around warily, peering into the trees for any sign of movement, but they saw nothing of any significance. It was unnerving for the elves to not see signs of life in their woods and Legolas shivered slightly at the vast emptiness around them.

"Keep moving," Legolas said quietly, motioning to the party to keep up. "We'll stop up here at this clearing and get our bearings." The elves moved forward cautiously, keenly aware of the darkness pressing in around them and the danger lurking everywhere.

When they reached the clearing the elves dismounted warily, keeping their weapons close at hand. Legolas motioned them into a group in the center of the clearing with half of the elves facing prince. Even so, their sharp elven hearing could easily hear the plan Legolas laid out for them.

"Our first priority is to find one of the remaining scouts," he said as quietly as possible. "If we can find him then hopefully we can get a clearer account of what we're searching for and maybe some clue as to its whereabouts."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Again, I own no recognizable characters.**

Part 2

Legolas sighed as he glanced off into the woods, pulling on the string of his bow absently. His plan had been simple; Meldiron, Alyan, and he had gone off to the last known place the scouts had been and the other guards had split up and gone in four separate directions to try and find some trace of the missing elves. The prince and his friends hadn't found anything and were now waiting for the other elves to return to the clearing.

Alyan looked over towards the prince and shook his head as he saw the look on the elf's face. He walked over calmly and put his hand on Legolas' shoulder, smiling as the prince jumped slightly.

"Are you alright, Legolas?" he asked calmly, looking into the prince's worried face. Legolas shook his head slowly.

"They should have been back by now," he said, looking off into the forest again.

"It hasn't been that long," Alyan said calmly, pulling the prince back towards the center of the clearing. "They will be back shortly and then we can continue with our job and find the horrible creature that has been attacking the sentries." Legolas nodded and followed Alyan over to where Meldiron was setting up camp for the night, hoping that the task would calm his nerves. But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

No sooner had they finished making the fire than there was a commotion in the bushes. The three friends quickly strung their bows as a lone elf tumbled out of the undergrowth and lay still. Meldiron rushed over as the others covered his back and examined the elf. Legolas recognized him as a member of their group from early and knelt down next to his friend to assess the damage. The young elf had obviously been beaten severely judging from the amount of blood on his temple and the bruises already covering his head and arms. His tunic was torn and bloody and the three elves could see what appeared to be claw marks stretching from his neck down to his navel. The elf stirred slightly at Meldiron's ministrations and jumped as he returned to consciousness.

"Shh," Meldiron crooned gently to try and calm the confused elf. "You are safe now my friend. You are with Prince Legolas and his friends." The elf looked at Legolas in confusion.

"Prince Legolas?" he asked in disbelief. "I thought for sure I was dead after that thing attacked us."

"What happened?" Alyan asked, kneeling down next to his friends. "What attacked you? Where are the others?"

"Dead as far as I know," he said with a sigh. "I thought for sure I was dead until you told me otherwise."

"But what did this to you?" Legolas prompted impatiently, still not believing that everyone was dead.

"I don't know," he said faintly, beginning to lose consciousness again as the severity of his wounds caught up to him. "It came out of nowhere and was so fast we could barely see it. Our weapons were useless; it just slaughtered us while we tried to escape. I got away briefly but it caught up to me and slashed me across the chest just before I fell through those bushes. I don't…" And with that the young elf passed out again. Meldiron continued to tend to the unconscious elf as Alyan and Legolas walked a little ways away to discuss their next step.

"What do we do now?" Alyan asked, looking at the surrounding woods cautiously. "If it's true that the rest of the party is dead, then we are really under manned."

Legolas nodded and sighed. "I know, but we still don't know what this thing is. If we leave now we'll just have to risk the lives of more elves by coming back. At least if we stay we're only risking our own lives."

"But what happens if we don't make it?" Alyan asked quietly.

"Then at least we'll have died trying to protect the rest of our people." Legolas said seriously as he walked over towards the fire to help Meldiron.

XXXXXXXXXX

The trio sat around the fire, Meldiron was still tending to the young elf as the other two watched the forest cautiously. It bothered Legolas that the creature had killed all of the guards but hadn't attacked them yet.

Alyan stood up quickly and listened to the forest around him. He slowly drew his sword and indicated the noise he had heard before cautiously moving off in that direction to check on it. Meldiron and Legolas followed suit, keeping low to the ground and in the dense foliage for camouflage.

The trio quickly reached the place where the sound was coming from and peaked out through a break in the foliage. Beyond the bushes was a group of humans sitting around a campfire. They looked to be hunters, but the three knew that human hunters had been banned from the woods as a way of keeping the peace. They looked at each other and nodded silently before moving away from the bushes and back towards the clearing, staying in the foliage and keeping their swords drawn.

Suddenly, from out of the darkness, flaming arrows fell all around them, making the trio scatter to avoid being hit by the flaming barrage.

"Head for cover!" Legolas called out to his friends. The other two nodded at the prince and followed him away from the arrows towards the denser undergrowth where the trio knew they would be safe from pursuers.

They had no idea what they were up against, and with night already well upon them they didn't want to risk getting separated by their attackers. But they also knew that it wasn't just humans they were running from, and trying to stay quiet while fleeing and listening for pursuers was hard to do.

But the trio knew they were being followed. They could hear the sounds of their pursuers behind them stumbling through the undergrowth and they quickly picked up their pace, still staying as quiet as possible.

Movement to Legolas's right was all the warning he had before someone jumped out of the undergrowth and tackled him to the ground. The other two turned around at the sound of a scuffle but were soon engaged in their own battles as more and more attackers appeared from the shadows.

Legolas rolled over and got his knees under his attacker and kicked him off over his head before scrambling for his sword that had been knocked from his hand at the initial attack.

He quickly got into a defensive position as the man rounded on him with his own sword. Legolas quickly blocked the blow and glanced over at his friends, who had dropped their swords for their knives, and was glad to see that they were holding their own against their attackers. But the trio was greatly out numbered. Their elvish quickness was the only advantage that the trio had and Legolas soon realized that it was a losing battle as more and more humans appeared out of the shadows.

Legolas quickly turned back to the man he was fighting just in time to block another blow. The man's sword glanced off his, but the he wasn't daunted. He quickly tried a new attack and feigned a blow to the right only to come back to the left. Legolas noticed the move a little too late and moved so the sword only cut his upper arm, but the cut was still deep.

Legolas hissed in pain and stumbled away from his attacker, holding his arm where blood was seeping through his fingers. That was all his attacker needed to gain the upper hand. He quickly got around behind Legolas and hit him with the pommel of his sword at the base of the skull.

Legolas reeled from the hit. He was stunned and dazed so he didn't notice when another man appeared out of the shadows and hit him in the face at the same time that his original attacker hit the back of his knees, forcing him to kneel while his nose and mouth were bleeding from the hit to his face. Through his haze he could just barely hear a voice from the trees ordering the men not to kill him but to kill the others and he fought through the fog around his mind to stop that from happening.

Quickly, another man tried to place a drug soaked cloth over his face, but Legolas still had some fight left in her and he quickly kicked out at the man behind him. He was still dazed from the hits he had taken but he quickly swung out with his sword, cutting the man nearest to him. He had just enough time to register that something was wrong with the attack before another blow to the temple brought him back down to his knees, yellow spots wavering in front of his vision. This time the men had no trouble getting the cloth over his face. Legolas struggled for only a moment before consciousness fled him and he slumped to the forest floor.

Alyan saw the prince fall and waited for him to get up, but the young elf didn't move. "Legolas!"

Meldiron also noticed the prince and the two friends attacked with a new ferociousness to try and get to their fallen comrade. But they were outnumbered and the attack just kept coming without end. They saw one of the men grab Legolas and drag him away from the fight, but there was nothing they could do from where they were.

The elves were beginning to tire from fighting three foes at once, and they were taking repeated blows to the head from behind. Finally, Meldiron took one hit too many and collapsed just behind Alyan.

"Meldiron!" Alyan tried to get to his friend but even more attackers blocked his path and all he could do was watch as one of the men stabbed his sword through Meldiron's heart and dragged his body away through the undergrowth. There was no doubt in Alyan's mind that his friend was now dead and he felt the tears come to his eyes.

His emotions overwhelmed him as he thought of his dead friend and the unknown fate of his prince. He fought as hard as he could, but he was greatly outnumbered and he cried out as he felt a sharp pain at his side. Spots danced in front of his eyes as the pain overwhelmed his already exhausted body. He stumbled to the forest floor and collapsed as another sword was stabbed through his heart and his life fled his body.

XXXXXXXXXX

Legolas moaned softly as he slowly regained consciousness. His head throbbed painfully and he tried to move his hands to check for any cuts, but his hands were tied roughly behind his back.

He woke up with a jolt as this realization hit him. Memories of the previous night flooded back to him and he looked around for Meldiron and Alyan. He was in some sort of cave as far as he could tell, but he didn't see his friends anywhere.

"Finally awake, huh? I thought elves healed faster than that. You've been out for over a day. Guess that drug was stronger than it needed to be," Legolas looked up at the man that stood over him. He was a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair. He grinned evilly down at the bound elf and gave him a little kick before going over to an older man who was sitting in front of the fire. He whispered something in the man's ear and followed him back over to where Legolas was still lying.

The older man was obviously the leader by the way the other man followed him. He knelt down in front of Legolas and grabbed his chin, tipping his face up towards him. He brushed back the hair that covered Legolas's ear and looked at it before Legolas managed to wiggle out of his grasp.

"Our boss told us all about you, your highness," the man said derisively. "And if you're looking for your two friends, I'd take a look over in that corner."

Legolas looked over to where the man was pointing and barely contained his sorry as he saw the bloody bodies of his two friends. He struggled to reach them but it was no use; the bonds were simply too tight and sturdy. He watched as the man looked over at them with a smile before getting up and going back over to the fire.

Legolas held back the tears that threatened to spill over and rested back on the ground. The situation was not good, and he still didn't know what these people wanted with him and he didn't know who their boss was. But he also knew that his friends were dead, he couldn't see their chests moving and there was simply too much blood.

"Balro protect me so I can avenge their deaths, and let me bring their bodies home in one peace," Legolas whispered to himself, calling on the sacred god of the forest for help before he turned away from the fire and unconsciousness claimed him once more.

XXXXXXXXXX

Legolas moaned as pain began to flood his senses yet again. He was only vaguely aware of other voices around him until he heard his name through his jumbled consciousness. He had only a moment to realize that he was hanging by his wrists from the ceiling before he heard his name again. He focused on the voice and realized that it was the man he had met when he first woke up.

"He won't be escaping, my Lord," the man said dutifully. Legolas struggled to see who he was talking to, but the other figure remained too far in the shadows.

"He better not," said the man in the shadows harshly. "You know what happened to Gavin when he captured Elrond's children." Legolas flinched slightly at the name, Aragorn had told him what happened, but he had no time to dwell on it as the men continued.

"He won't, my Lord," he man said reassuringly. "We bound him tightly. And he's suspended from the ceiling. He won't be escaping by himself."

"He shouldn't be escaping at all," the man in the shadows said as he walked casually over to Legolas, keeping in the shadows as if he was afraid of the firelight. "But I see that our captive is awake. Good." Legolas tried to get a glimpse of the man who was obviously in charge, but he remained out of sight and in his injured state he couldn't see as well as normal.

"Who are you?" Legolas asked, trying to sound like he was in control. "What do you want with me?" He could just faintly hear the sound of the man's laughter from behind him and it unnerved him more than he cared to admit, even to himself.

"I'm surprised at you, prince," the man said mockingly. "Didn't your friends tell you about Gavin or did you just forget what happened to them in Markin?"

Legolas flinched unconsciously at the mention of what happened to his friends. The man could obviously sense his discomfort and Legolas could just imagine how he was smiling in triumph.

"So was it your creature that attacked my men?" Legolas asked changing the subject. The man laughed again, louder this time.

"My creature?" he asked, obviously amused. "I don't need a creature." And with that he stepped out of the shadows and around in front of Legolas. He sucked in his breath as the man's face came into view. Legolas knew he wasn't a man, but he couldn't tell what he actually was. His skin was pale as alabaster, his eyes were blood red, and his teeth were pointed and elongated. He looked almost feral to the elf prince, who moved back as far as he could while being suspended by his wrists.

"My name is Morohtar," the creature said with a smile at Legolas's horror. "Your guard over there is Brelor, I'm sure you two will get along fine while I'm gone." With that he gave Legolas one last smile of triumph before walking back into the shadows and towards what Legolas assumed was the entrance to the cave.

"I think we're going to be great friends," Brelor said with an evil smile, twisting Legolas around in his bonds so he was facing him. "I know I'm going to enjoy your time with us." As he said this he gave Legolas a huge punch across the face and the elf prince spiraled into unconsciousness yet again.

XXXXXXXXXX

Aragorn smiled as he entered the city of Mirkwood for the first time in over six months. He was looking forward to seeing his friend again and catching up on the elves' news. He looked around eagerly for the prince as he entered the courtyard of the palace and dismounted from his horse. He was surprised when only Thranduil came out to greet him.

"Welcome back, Aragorn," Thranduil said with a smile, opening his arms wide for the ranger. "We've really missed you around here."

Aragorn sighed as he gave the elf king a hug. "Where's Legolas? I thought for sure he'd be here for my first time back in six months."

"He should be back soon," Thranduil said with a smile. "He took a party of guards out into the forest."

"Is there a problem?" Aragorn asked in concern.

"We've had some attacks on the sentries," Thranduil said with a shrug. "But nothing really important. Legolas just went to see what he could find out, nothing more."

Aragorn nodded, trying not to let his worry show. But he knew that if anything bad was happening Thranduil would tell him. And having Legolas come back the next day would give him a chance to rest after his long trip.

"I hope you're hungry," Thranduil said leading him into the house. "I had the cook prepare a feast in honor of your visit."

"You really didn't have to do that," Aragorn said, slightly embarrassed. "You know I don't like to make a fuss. And it just doesn't feel right to have a feast without Legolas."

"I know, Aragorn," Thranduil said, pausing in front of the door to the dining room. "But Legolas will be back tomorrow and then we can have a small, private celebration." Aragorn nodded, already looking forward to the arrival of his friend.

The two were just about to enter the dining room when a guard came running around the corner towards them. He stopped quickly and threw them a quick salute. Thranduil held up a hand for the guard to gather his thoughts and the elf nodded, pausing for a brief second.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, my lords," the guard said hurriedly. "But I was sent to tell you that there is someone out front you should see." The two looked at each other in confusion before following the guard back out to the front courtyard.

The sight before them was one of utter chaos. Elves were running every which way, some calling for the healers and other kneeling around a prone figure in the center of the courtyard. Thranduil walked determinately towards the knot of elves and Aragorn followed behind him, trying to catch a passing elf to ask what was going on.

Aragorn finally managed to stop a servant girl carrying towels. Thranduil was already over at the knot of elves they had seen when they first came out and Aragorn was hoping to join him once he had more information. But the girl merely shook her head in fear and ran into the house, it was only after she was gone that Aragorn realized that the towels she had been carrying were covered in blood.

Concerned, the ranger quickly joined Thranduil and gasped at the sight in the center of the group. A lone elf, younger than Legolas, was being turned onto his back by a group of healers. His hair was matted with blood from a gash to his temple, and his tunic was ripped and bloodied from multiple stab wounds and what appeared to be large claw marks. For a moment the ranger was pulled back to a time so long ago when he looked down at his brothers' prone bodies and he almost cried as he was forced to relive that painful memory yet again.

"Your highness," the lead healer said to Thranduil, pulling Aragorn back to the moment. "He's beginning to regain consciousness."

As if in response to the healer's words the young elf moaned and slowly opened his eyes, struggling against the healers in his confusion and fear. Aragorn put a hand calmingly on the elf's arm.

"You are safe, my friend," Aragorn said soothingly, keeping his hand on the young elf's arm. "You are home."

"Home," he said in disbelief. "I thought I would never make it home."

"Do you know what attacked you?" Thranduil asked impatiently. Aragorn wondered why he used the word "what" instead of "who", but didn't dwell on it long as the elf began his story.

"I was part of Prince Legolas's hunting party," he began slowly, trying to remain conscious. "We split up once we got deep into the forest. Prince Legolas, Meldiron, and Alyan went to the last known outpost of the sentries, and the rest of the party went off into four separate directions to try and find any survivors."

He paused as if the memory was too painful before quietly continuing. "It must have surprised each group separately because my group was the only one to make it back. We were just beyond the clearing where we were to meet Prince Legolas's group when we were ambushed by what I can only assume was the creature's army. They bombarded us with flaming arrows while the creature picked us off one by one. I managed to escape with only minor injuries and met up with Prince Legolas's group. Meldiron cared for my injuries and I told them what had happened.

"When I woke up later that night, the clearing was empty and I would hear voices beyond in the woods so I followed the sound and came upon a group of humans. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, you highness, but they were standing over the bodies of Meldiron and Alyan."

"Are you sure they were dead?" Aragorn asked in disbelief. Meldiron and Alyan had been his friends as well and the thought of so many immortal lives lost was almost too much for him to handle.

"I'm sorry, my lord," he said, looking away. "But they each had a sword sticking out of their chests." Aragorn nodded, still not quite grasping the truth of it all.

"Please, continue," Thranduil said gently hoping to find out what had happened to Legolas. He feared the worst, but Aragorn was having a hard enough time as it was so he didn't voice his fears.

The young elf continued. "The humans were talking with what I assumed was the creature, although I couldn't see it among the trees. Prince Legolas was alive, but unconscious and bound, on the other side of the humans. I'm not sure why he was the only one they kept alive, but he was definitely breathing, of that I can assure your highnesses."

"We thank you for that," Aragorn said, finally finding his voice. "But I must ask, how did you get back here?"

"I didn't think I would," he said quietly, turning away slightly at the memory. "I knew there was no way I would be able to take on ten fully armed humans in my state so I tried to go back to the clearing so I could get help, but I ran into a sentry instead who somehow managed to knock me out before I could react.

"When I woke up I was bound and hanging from a tree. The humans were standing around laughing at me just swinging there. And then a man came forward. He appeared to be the leader by the way he spoke and he…"

The young elf's voice hitched slightly and Aragorn dropped his head in sorrow for the pain the elf must have gone through to get home. Thranduil grasped what the elf was talking about and sighed, his worry for Legolas overpowering his manners and sympathy for the young elf.

"It's alright," Aragorn said finally, looking the elf straight in the eyes. "You don't have to go into detail. I think I know what you went through."

The young elf nodded in relief and shame before continuing. "I passed out at some point during the… the torture… and while I was out one of them must have kicked me in the temple and left me for dead because when I awoke they were all gone… including the bodies of Meldiron and Alyan." He ended the last part in the whisper as his exhaustion and injuries caught up with him and he passed out once again.

Aragorn looked worriedly at his father over the prone body of the elf that the healers were quickly lifting to transport into the house, but Thranduil just looked away. All he could think about was the fight he had had with Legolas right before he had left and it was tearing him up inside. Aragorn could tell there was something wrong with the elf king, but Thranduil just stood up and walked back into the house, leaving his son to stare at the blood that was slowly staining the flagstones of the courtyard.

XXXXXXXXXX

Legolas struggled uselessly against his bindings, trying to escape at all cost. He had been awake for several hours already and the stress of his situation and injuries were exhausting him. He kept thinking about what happened to Aragorn with Gavin and he was afraid that he was losing his mind.

The sounds of the returning humans to his prison pulled Legolas back to the present and he struggled all the more in his fear. He knew what humans were capable of and he did not want to relive his friends' experiences.

"Stop struggling!" Brelor said, appearing in front of the elf prince. "You won't escape those bindings and the boss wants you in peak condition." With that he punched Legolas across the jaw causing the prince's body to spin and twist his binds, pinching his hands even more than normal and cutting off circulation. He swung there for a moment while Brelor laughed at the pain on his face.

"If your boss wants me in peak condition," Legolas said as he stopped spinning. "Why do you keep hitting me?"

"Quiet!" Brelor said, punching the elf prince in the stomach. "I don't need prisoners asking me questions!"

He walked away towards the fire and his men while Legolas struggled to regain his breath. He wanted to curl in on himself to relieve the pain, but he couldn't while he was hanging from the ceiling and that only made the pain worse. Legolas felt like crying as fiction and reality merged as one in his pain and he was dragged to Gavin's torture chamber. He called out for Aragorn and his father, hoping that someone would be able to help relieve his pain.

Brelor yelled at him to be quiet and in his feverish state Legolas thought the voice was Gavin's. He began to quake with fear and pain but the combination was too much for his abused body to handle and the elf prince passed out again. Brelor and his men had been beating him constantly for days now and his original wounds from the battle hadn't had time to heal and had become infected.

"What is wrong with the prisoner?" Morohtar asked suddenly appearing in the shadows. Brelor jumped slightly at the sight of his boss, but kept his composure.

"Nothing's wrong with him," Brelor said confidently. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I heard him call out for Elrond's human brat," Morohtar said angrily, watching as Brelor's face became ashen with fear. He hadn't known that his boss was in the cave during Legolas's episode. "You have been keeping him in peak condition and letting him heal, right?"

"Of course boss," Brelor said, trying not to let the fear show in his voice. "We would never disobey your orders." But Morohtar wasn't listening as he examined Legolas. He hissed in anger as he realized that the prince was dying from an infection and fever.

"You idiot!" he screamed, moving at lightning speed to grab Brelor by his collar. "He is dying!"

"D-dying?" Brelor said in disbelief. He honestly hadn't thought that the prince's injuries were that serious, but he also knew that he was now in huge trouble.

"Yes you fool, dying," Morohtar said, tossing him against the back wall. "How is my plan supposed to work if he is dead?" Brelor didn't answer as he shook his head to try and clear it and Morohtar sighed in anger.

"Just get someone in here to heal him," he said, slipping back into the shadows. "Otherwise you will take his place." Brelor nodded in fear as Morohtar left again and got up to figure out what to do.

"Jodar," Brelor said after a moment, pointing to one of his men. "Your wife is a healer, is she not?"

"Yes Irina is," Jodar said worriedly. "But I would rather not bring her into this. She doesn't need to know all the details of what I do."

"I would agree with you," Brelor said sympathetically. "But we have no choice. You know what Morohtar will do if that elf brat dies. And it won't just be to me." Jodar nodded, knowing that Brelor was right, but he still didn't like it. He didn't want his wife involved in anything he did; he was simply too ashamed of it all.

"I'll bring her back with me tomorrow morning," Jodor said resignedly.

"No," Brelor said, pulling the man to his feet. "You will bring her here now."

"But sir…" Jodar said pleadingly.

"No buts," Brelor said, pushing him towards the door. "Even I'll admit that the elf looks bad. We need him to survive the night, so you are going to bring your wife here now!" Jodar nodded, slightly scared of the look on his boss's face, and ran out of the cave to get his wife. He just hoped that for all their sakes that the elf survived.

XXXXXXXXXX

Aragorn finally found the elf king in the library. He was slumped in one of the many arm chairs scattered about the room staring into the fire. The ranger had never seen Thranduil look so dejected and it scared him. He had hoped that the elf would be his rock, the one person he could lean on when his friend wasn't there. And now Aragorn was afraid that he would have to be Thranduil's rock, and he really wasn't sure he could handle the job.

"Your Highness?" Aragorn asked quietly, walking towards the elf slowly. "Are you alright?" But Thranduil didn't say anything. Aragorn waited for a few moments but still the elf king said nothing. Finally Aragorn turned around to leave, hoping that Thranduil would come to him when he wanted to talk.

He had just reached the door when Thranduil said, "It's my fault."

Aragorn turned around slowly. "What's your fault?" he asked slowly, staying near the door until the elf king wanted him.

"Legolas' capture," he said, still not turning around. "I had argued with him before he left, about stupid stuff mostly, but I think it really got to him. He was determined to go after that. Maybe if I hadn't been so hard on him he wouldn't have gone."

"You can't blame yourself for this," Aragorn said, going over to kneel in front of Thranduil. "You know how Legolas is, he would have gone anyway."

Aragorn put a hand on Thranduil's shoulder, but the elf king just shook it off. He was too absorbed in his own self-pity to deal with anyone else or to realize the effect that it was having on the ranger. Aragorn just couldn't deal with the elf king's coldness on top of the death of his friends and his friend's capture.

Thranduil didn't even notice as Aragorn quietly left the room, his emotions over powering his better judgment. He knew he had to go and rescue and his friend, even if it meant that he was captured in the process. He was not going to let his friend go through that horror all by himself.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Jador," Irina said as they came within sight of the cave. "Why am I here?"

Jador sighed. "Brelor's prisoner is dying, and he needs him kept alive so he can get the information out of him that he needs."

"But why is he here?" Irina asked, already scared of the cave and what lay inside.

"I told you," Jador said impatiently. "He's a traitor to Algashia. He tried to sell military and government secrets to the enemy. He's lucky he's not dead at the moment."

Irina nodded; scared about what type of horrible person she would be treating. But the sight that met her eyes shocked her. The traitor was an elf, and a horribly wounded elf at that. The poor creature had been beaten so badly that his glow was almost nonexistent. Irina looked at her husband in shock, but he just led her right up to the elf and walked away.

Irina looked over the elf, trying to decide where to begin. He was suspended from the ceiling and, from what she could see; he appeared to have a gash across his temple as well as multiple slashes and bruises. But Irina knew that she needed to get him down from the ceiling first so she could thoroughly examine his wounds.

"Jador," Irina said, walking cautiously over to her husband. "I need the elf taken down from the ceiling and laid out flat. Otherwise I can't treat his wounds."

Jador looked at Brelor who nodded slowly. With the elf as close to death as he thought, there was no way he was escaping. Jador motioned to two other men to help him get the elf down from the ceiling and Irina directed them to a dry corner of the cave closer to the fire where she could work on the elf.

Irina tried not to gasp at the seriousness of the elf's injuries. She wasn't even sure if her skills would be enough to save him. He had a severe gash across his temple, three broken ribs, two sprained wrists, a dislocated shoulder, and a sprained ankle not to mention multiple slashes and bruises covering his entire body and a high fever. One slash looked worse than the others; it was a deep cut straight across his upper arm that was oozing what appeared to be pus. Irina knew it was very infected and probably the cause of the fever, but she also wasn't sure how much she could do for it.

"I'll need some water," she said, looking at the men sitting around the fire. "And some clean rags." Brelor nodded and Jodar got up to fetch his wife a bucket of cool water and the required rags while Irina continued to examine the elf for any more injuries.

"Here you are," Jodar said softly, laying the supplies next to his wife. He looked at the elf for a moment and Irina thought she saw a look of pity and self loathing pass her husband's face, but Jodar got up before she could be sure.

"Why did you do to deserve this?" Irina asked the elf softly as she slowly began the arduous task of trying to keep him alive.

XXXXXXXXXX

Aragorn sat quietly on the sill of his bedroom window, staring out into the forest absently. He was worried about his friend, but the thought of him being captured only brought up old memories of Gavin. He could easily imagine what his friend was going through and it brought tears to his eyes.

The ranger needed to figure out what to do. He knew Thranduil probably wanted to send out a party to search for Legolas, but Aragorn also knew that by the time the elf king stopped torturing himself enough to actually come up with a plan Legolas might already be dead. And that was something that Aragorn just could not allow. He knew in his heart that he would not be able to survive the death of his friend, especially when it would be his fault.

He thought back to that time so long ago when they were prisoners of Gavin. It was a time that he really didn't care to remember, but his mind wandered there anyway and his first thought was of his brothers. He turned away from the forest to block out the memories, even after all this time the hurt was still too near for him to bear.

As he got down from the window sill it suddenly hit the ranger. He knew what he had to do. It was up to him to save his friend. He was smarter and more experienced now and he knew that he could do, especially since Thranduil was pretty useless at the moment.

Determined, he quickly gathered a small pack of provisions and his weapons and walked towards the library. He saw the elf king asleep in the same chair and waved good bye before slipping out the back door and into the darkness of the woods. He knew from the captain of the guard about where Legolas and his party would have been looking for the sentries so he decided to start there.

It took him most of the night to find the place in the dark. Even with his superior ranger skills it was slow trying to navigate once he entered the dark part of the woods, but eventual he made it to where he was going. The clearing was rather ordinary which bothered Aragorn. He had been hoping for signs of an obvious struggle, something that he could easily follow to find his friend. But there was nothing, it was simply an ordinary clearing. The only sign that anyone had even been there was the burned out remains of a fire in the center.

Aragorn spent the next hour studiously combing the entire perimeter of the clearing multiple times, but he found nothing to suggest a struggle. Finally he found what he was looking for. Leading off into the woods were three sets of tracks. They were obviously elven by the fact that they were almost invisible impressions. It took a highly skilled tracker, or another elf, to track an elf simply because they could move through the undergrowth and leave almost no perceptible trace that anyone had been there.

Luckily, Aragorn could follow the track and it led him through the dense undergrowth to the edge of another clearing. This time the prince could see signs of a struggle as well as blood and he knew that this was where he needed to start to find Legolas. And so he began the long and arduous task of sorting out all of the different footprints.

"Don't worry, Legolas," Aragorn said quietly under his breath. "I will rescue you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Do I really need one anymore? I own none of Tolkien's characters. **

Part 3

Irina sighed as she finished binding the last of the elf's wounds. It worried her that he still hadn't woken up, but his fever was more urgent. If she couldn't break it, she feared that the elf would not survive the night. She soaked another rag in the cold water as she took his temperature yet again. He was still burning up, but he hadn't started hallucinating yet and he was still relaxed in his unconsciousness.

She glanced over at her husband and sighed. He wasn't the man she thought she was if he could sit by and let this happen to a creature, even if that creature was a traitor to the country. It was still cruel to her and it made her sick just to look at the elf and think about how it was partly her husband's fault that he was like that.

Suddenly, the elf's condition changed drastically. He started spasming out of control and whimpering in pain. Irina gasped as the elf's eyes flew open, their gaze clouded and unseeing in his feverish state. She tried to calm him down, but the elf didn't realize where he was and he was obviously reliving some past traumatic experience.

"Ada!" he cried out suddenly, trying to escape from some unseen foe and struggling against Irina's ministrations. "Estel! Somebody, help me!"

"Quiet him down!" Brelor said angrily, nearly throwing a bowl at Irina's head.

"I'm sorry," Irina said, trying to soothe the elf. "But he's hallucinating from the fever, there's nothing I can do about it."

"Well you better think of something," Brelor warned, worried that the elf would betray their secrets. "Or you and your husband will regret it!"

"But there really is nothing I can do!" Irina cried, trying to reason with the man. "The only way to quiet him now would be to kill him."

Brelor muttered something unintelligible before turning back to finish his meal. Irina wiped her eyes where tears had formed in fear and turned back to the elf. He was still struggling violently, but he had stopped speaking for the moment. She wondered who those people were he had called out to and where he had come from, but she had little time to dwell on it as he began calling out again.

"No," he said, visibly shaking in fear. "No! Estel! It's Gavin! Stay away from them! No!"

Irina gasped as she heard the name Gavin. She wondered if it was the same Gavin that had been King so long ago. She tried to remember the story her mother had told her when she was a little girl about him. She knew it had something to do with revenge and elves and…

"Thranduil!" the elf called out interrupting her chain of thought. "Father! Help me, please! He's going to kill us! Where's Estel? I need to see him!

Thranduil, of course! Now she remembered. Thranduil was the king of the elves and had been for over two millennia. When Gavin was crowned king he went insane against the elves and sought revenge against Elrond. His human son and both of his elven children were captured. If she remembered the story correctly, he tortured the children for weeks before Elrond managed to get in to try and rescue them. He had managed to kill Gavin before escaping. They must have told Thranduil and his son about it and it was this torture that the elf must be remembering.

If this was Thranduil's son that made him royalty. The war was over and had been for a long time, why would an elven prince be accused of treason? No, Irina now knew that her husband was lying. This elf was here for some other purpose; she just didn't know what yet.

"I need you to listen to my voice," she said quietly to the elf, hoping he could hear her through his feverish haze. "You need to come towards the light. Balro cannot have you yet. Stay for Estel and Thranduil."

What was this elf's name? If she could only remember the story then she knew she could talk to the elf and get him to stay with them. Although judging by her husband's lies, she wasn't sure that the elf should live to see what they will do to him. But she also knew that it would be worse for her and her children if the elf died and maybe she could find the elves and tell them where their prince was.

Then, suddenly, she remembered his name. "Legolas," she said softly, pulling the elf's head onto her lap and holding the cold cloth to his forehead. "Legolas, I need you to come back to me. Come back to the light young prince, your father and friend need you."

"Mother?" Legolas asked, trying to focus on the voice that was speaking to him.

"No," Irina said, stroking his hair soothingly. She wished she could tell him otherwise, but the last thing he needed was false hope that his mother actually was alive. "But I need you to focus on my voice and break through this fever that is gripping your body right now. I know where your father and friend are and I need you to live, for them and for me and my children. Don't let us down young prince. Please come back."

Legolas had a brief moment of clarity as the fever broke and he looked up into the face of a young human woman. She had brown hair and forest green eyes and a kind face, although she looked tired and worn beyond her years. That was his last thought before unconsciousness claimed him once more.

XXXXXXXXXX

Aragorn was glad that humans were horrible at hiding their trail. It had taken him little time at all to find their trail leading away from the clearing and he had made good time since then. He wasn't even sure where the trail led, but he just hoped that it wasn't too far away. The injured elf had mentioned a creature they were tracking. If the humans were working for that creature then it stood to reason that they were still in the forest somewhere. He just had to keep going and he would eventually find his friend, he just hoped that he wasn't too late to save him when he got there.

But it worried him that the creature kept Legolas alive. Was this a case of revenge against the royal house or was Legolas just lucky to be left alive? But then again, why keep just one elf alive? Aragorn was sure the creature probably hated elves for the simple fact that they lived in the forest as well, but Legolas was the first elf it had left alive. It must have known who Legolas was from overhearing a conversation a guard was having.

Aragorn wasn't sure whether this realization was a positive one for his friend, but he also knew that it meant that his friend would definitely be alive when he found him. He just wasn't sure what shape his friend would be in when he finally got to him.

Aragorn continued to follow the humans' trail deeper into the forest. He had been after them for over four hours and was just beginning to think his assumption about them still being in the forest was wrong when he came within sight of a cave.

He hid in the undergrowth and crept silently towards the cave, hoping that the man standing guard outside was as stupid as he looked. Luckily he was because he didn't notice the ranger at all as he crouched at the edge of the entrance. Aragorn listened closely for any sound of his friend, but the cave was earily silent and the man was worried that he had followed the wrong tracks. Maybe Legolas wasn't even with this group of humans… but then why were they in the boundaries of Mirkwood?

He listened some more, if only to determine why the humans were there, when he suddenly heard a cry. It was a cry that tore at his heart. He had heard that cry before, when his brothers were captured by Gavin. That cry had embedded itself on his soul and it brought tears to his eyes to think that his friend was in pain. But he also knew that charging in there without thinking wouldn't help his friend at all. He needed a plan and he also needed to know what shape his friend was in. Only then could he attempt to get him out. He listened again as his friend began shouting and he fought to keep the tears back.

XXXXXXXXXX

Irina looked down at the sleeping elf prince and almost cried in shame and pity. Why was such a proud and noble creature reduced to such a state? What kind of monster would do this to an elf? She had grown up in a village near an elven city and her fondest memories were of playing with the elf children as a child. When she had gottten older she had worked for some of the elves just so she could be close to them. It broke her heart to see one in such agony and she suddenly hated her husband for whatever part he had had in causing the elf's current condition. He had ruined her first real glimpse back into her childhood and it made her sadder than she had ever been in her life. Her childhood was the only happy time in her life and her husband had just destroyed that for her. It made her sick to even look at him.

Jodar sensed his wife's anger over the elf and sighed. That was why he hadn't wanted his wife involved. He knew her history with the elves, knew how much she loved them and how much they had taught her. She had learned her healing skills from the elves if he remembered correctly. He stole a quick glance at Irina and flinched at the look of pure hatred she threw his way before turning back to the elf who was beginning to stir again. Legolas befan talking in his sleep again. His fever was gone, but he was still in a lot of pain. Irina listened closely but she couldn't tell what he was talking about, none of the names were familiar to her.

"Meldiron… Alyan…" he whispered again softly. "I've lost you, my friends… Where are you? Why didn't they leave you where you fell? I need you! Get up from that corner! Get up from that corner! Please! Morohtar will be back any moment now!" Irina gasped at the mention of the vampyre's name and looked fearfully around the cave, trying to see if he was lurking in the shadows anywhere. It was only then that her eyes spotted the two bodies in the far corner.

She stood up quickly and screamed, her mouth open wide in horror as she realized that the two elves Legolas was calling out to in his sleep were the two elves who were lying dead in the corner. Jodar rushed over to his wife to try and calm her, not quite sure what the elf had said in his sleep. He looked to where she was pointing in horror and sighed in defeat. He had been hoping she wouldn't see the bodies, but now it was too late. He didn't even try to stop her as she ran out of the cave, tears streaming down her face in anger and sadness as well as fear.

XXXXXXXXXX

Aragorn quickly hid in the shadows as he heard a woman scream in terror. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew that something horrible was happening and he needed to act quickly. Now there were two people involved, his friend and this unknown woman.

The young man steeled himself for the fight ahead. He knew he was going into the cave woefully unprepared, but he also knew that he couldn't wait any longer. Especially since there was a woman trapped in the cave as well. His genteel manner and upbringing would not allow him to leave her in there without trying to rescue her first.

He drew his sword and prepared to rush the guard in front of the cave when a woman came running out, tears streaming down her cheeks in fear and sorrow. Aragorn watched as a younger man came running out after her followed by a whole group of men who subsequently held the younger man back from running after the woman.

"Irina!" he called out in anguish. "Please come back! I can explain everything, please!" But Irina just kept running, ignoring the young man's pleas and tears. Aragorn grinned slightly at his good luck. Although he felt sorry for the young woman, she was a perfect source of information to find out what shape his friend was in and what defenses the humans had in and around the cave.

He followed closely behind her, making sure not to show himself and startle her into revealing his presence. He wanted her on his side, not against him. And he also didn't want her to be scared of him.

Aragorn watched carefully as Irina slowly tired out from the strain of her emotions and her long run away from the cave. She sat down heavily on a stump and cried her heart out, pouring all of her pent up anger, frustration, and sorrow into her tears. The ranger's heart went out to her. Even if she was somehow involved in his friend's capture, she was obviously frightened and in distress.

He waited for a moment until she had calmed down slightly before stepping cautiously out of the undergrowth into the open. He paused for a moment, waiting for her to notice him and looked around to make sure that none of the humans had followed her. He looked at her for a moment longer before she finally noticed him standing at the edge of the clearing. She gasped in surprise and he put his hands up quickly to stop her from screaming.

"Please," he said calmly, walking slowly towards her. "I mean you no harm. I just have some questions."

She didn't answer and Aragorn was afraid that she didn't understand him when she finally said, "You're Estel, aren't you?"

He stopped in his tracks, surprised that she knew who he was, and nodded in acknowledgement. She nodded, obviously glad that the ranger was there, but said no more.

"I'm sorry," Aragorn said, kneeling in front of the woman. "But how do you know who I am?"

"Because your friend told me," she said softly. She sounded ashamed at the mention of Legolas, but Aragorn wasn't sure why.

"How is my friend?" he asked, worried that his friend would have told a stranger about him.

Irina looked away and Aragorn knew that it was Legolas that caused her shame. He took one of her hands and gently turned her face back towards him. He looked deeply into her eyes and was shocked at the sadness that lay there. This woman had been through unimaginable horrors, and the episode in the cave was only one in the long list that made up her life.

"What has happened to you?" he whispered softly to himself, not really sure if the woman was with him anymore. He was wrong.

"Too much, my lord," she said softly, looking back into his eyes. "But you need to save your friend."

"I need to help you first," he said, grabbing her other hand comfortingly. "My friend has been through worse. The least I can do now is help you."

Irina sighed. "I don't deserve your help, my lord," she said, avoiding his gaze. "Legolas did not tell me your name willingly," Irina said quietly, still not looking at the ranger. "But you will be happy to know that your friend is okay. I'll start at the beginning…

XXXXXXXXXX

And that's my story," Irina finished quietly. "You need to rescue your friend as soon as possible! Please! I can't stand to think of him left alone in there!"

Aragorn hugged the sobbing woman close to his chest, hoping that he wouldn't start crying as well. "Don't worry, Irina," he said, sounding a lot calmer than he felt. "I will rescue him. I don't think I could survive either knowing that he was just left there."

XXXXXXXXXX

Legolas sighed as he slowly regained consciousness. He couldn't remember much about what had happened over the past few days, but for some reason he remembered seeing a young human woman. She had been holding his head on her lap, and she looked sad and careworn.

His reverie was interrupted by a sudden kick to his side. He curled in on himself in agony, suddenly remembering where he was. He heard of laugh from above him and a sharp snort of derision. He opened his eyes slowly, still gasping for air, and glared in anger at the humans standing above him. One of them grabbed him under the arms and pulled him roughly to his feet. He swayed unsteadily, not used to standing after having been suspended and unconscious for so long, and was dragged over to a set of manacles stuck in the floor. He looked around anxiously for the mysterious woman who had cared for him, afraid that they had done something horrible to her, but he didn't see her anywhere. He hoped she was okay as he was chained to the stake and his feet were chained to the wall so he was lying on his back.

"Glad to see that you're finally well again," said a voice from the shadows. Legolas glared in the direction of the voice, knowing instinctively who is was that stood there in the dark.

"Morohtar," Legolas said menacingly. "Why don't you show yourself for once, or are you scared of a chained elf?"

Morohtar laughed as he stepped out of the shadows and bared his fangs evilly, hissing as he advanced towards the prostrate elf. Legolas tried to break free of his restraints as the vampyre knelt down next to him and moved his hair away from his neck.

"Do you know why I kept you alive young prince?" Morohtar asked suddenly, rubbing his fingers gently over Legolas's jugular.

"For the same reason as the sentries," Legolas said, twisting his head away from Morohtar's cold fingers. "The only reason I'm still alive is so you can attract more elves to feed on."

"Ah," Morohtar said standing up again. "That's where you are wrong. I kept you out of revenge. You see, Gavin was… well I guess you would say that he was my creator. He did many experiments in that dark fortress of his and I was the product of one of those experiments. In my previous life I was the son of a prominent black smith in the city surrounding his fortress. One day some guards came to our house and took me away, saying that Gavin wanted to put me into his employ. My parents were naturally thrilled at the promotion the family was getting and I was scared at meeting the king but considered it an honor to serve him. When I arrived at the castle I was ushered into this large, dark room where some men came and chained me to the wall. They experimented on me for three months until finally the stress killed me, but I did not die. I awoke as this creature, what the humans call a vampyre. I escaped from Gavin's fortress shortly after your friends did but I heard all about you and them. Gavin had been planning to capture you and your father next and feed your family to me to see the effect of elf blood on an undead creature but never had the chance. When I left the castle I went to see my family, but I was so hungry and they were scared of me that I lost control. I drained them all in a matter of hours and then left, eventually ending up in Mirkwood where I hid out in this cave. I recruited some humans to help me and lived here happily for many years feeding on wandering humans and small animals. Then some elves started wandering too close to my cave and so I fed on them… and it was amazing. It was the best rush I've ever had and lasted so much longer than anything else I had ever had. It was shortly after this that I decided to capture a royal elf if I could. Royal blood is supposedly so much stronger than regular elf blood and since you can live forever… well I think you get the picture. You'll be a never ending food source for me…you and your family if they ever arrive to try and save you." And with that he swooped down over Legolas and bit into his neck, sucking happily as Legolas screamed in pain and horror.

XXXXXXXXXX

Aragorn walked silently back to the cave. He had made sure that Irina was alright to get home and had told her that if he didn't come back to check on her in three days that she should go and tell Thranduil what had happened. He gave her a pass to get into the city and travel freely through the woods before leaving her to travel on her own.

He now stood outside the cave, amazed that there was no guard, and peered in at the horrible scene before him.

Aragorn moved away from the edge of the cave, the bile rising in his throat at the scene he had just witnessed. He tried to block out his friend's terrified screams, but they penetrated through every barrier he could put up in his mind until he just wanted to scream as well. He gazed back into the cave, surprised that the humans weren't there before taking a deep breath and stepping into the mouth of the cave, sword drawn and ready to kill the vile creature that was slowly killing his friend.

He crept up behind him and quickly stabbed the sword through the creature's heart, making sure not to accidentally stab Legolas in the process. The creature screamed in pain stood up quickly, turning around to face a stunned Aragorn. He had never seen a creature like him before and he was even more shocked when the creature smiled at him and pulled the sword out of its chest.

"Hello, ranger," he said, giving a small bow. "I wasn't expecting you. Where is Thranduil?"

Aragorn took a small step back, eyeing the sword in the creature's hand and pulled out his daggers. "He's not here. It's just me."

"What a shame," the creature said, throwing the sword carelessly off to the side. "I had hoped to get all of the royal family here at the same time… but no matter. Thranduil will come eventually."

"You won't take both of any of them," Aragorn warned, holding his daggers at the ready in case he had to fight to reach his friend.

"Ah," the creature said, looking the elf prince straight in the eye. "That's where you are wrong. Didn't you find it strange that none of my human minions were here?" And with that the group of humans Aragorn had seen before burst out of the forest and the shadows and attacked all at once. It was all the young ranger could do to fight them off, there was just too many. Even the most skilled elf could not fend off ten humans at once, and Aragorn was no elf. Finally one of them landed a lucky blow across the back of his skull and he fell to the floor of the cave. Taking advantage of the downed man, the humans converged on him and hit him on the back of the head again to effectively knock him out before tying him up and throwing his limp body in front of Morohtar.

"Estel!" Legolas cried, struggling against his chains. "Don't you touch him, Morohtar! If you do I swear…"

"You'll what?" Morohtar asked, picking up the unconscious ranger unceremoniously. "You aren't escaping, of that I can assure you." With that he kicked the struggling elf prince in the skull, knocking him out, before dropping his unconscious friend next to him. He looked down at the two bound beings with a smile before motioning to the humans to make sure they were securely tied up. He would have his fun with them later.

XXXXXXXXXX

Aragorn moaned as he slowly regained consciousness. The last thing he remembered was trying to save Legolas and a bunch of humans had taken him down… and then nothing. He opened his eyes and looked cautiously around the cave, realizing that he was chained hand and foot just like Legolas was. It was only then that he realized that Legolas was next to him except that he was still unconscious. He hissed unconsciously at the wound that was trying to heal on his neck and vowed to kill the evil creature that had done that to his friend.

"Glad to see you're awake, ranger," Morohtar said as he stepped out of the shadows in front of Aragorn.

"What do you want with Legolas and Thranduil?" he asked angrily, struggling against his bonds. "And why am I still alive?"

"Ah," the creature said as he began to slowly pace in front of the bound man, "Excellent questions. You see, I need the Mirkwood royal family for food and I'm hoping your father and brothers will come and rescue you as they did before with Gavin. Then I'll have five royal elves to use as a food supply and I can dispose of you."

"But," Aragorn said, alarmed that Morohtar knew about his father and brothers. "How do you…"

"How do I know your history?" he asked menacingly. "I only know what Gavin knew and told me. I was one of his experiments you know, and I'm beginning to wonder if you will reveal your secret to me when you could not to Gavin. It would make an interesting challenge."

Aragorn shuddered at the mention of Gavin, but did not say anything. He would not give the creature that kind of satisfaction.

"You know," Morohtar said as he looked down at the still unconscious elf lying next to Aragorn. "I think I'm getting hungry again." And with that he swooped down on Aragorn and began to suck his blood as the ranger screamed uncontrollably.

XXXXXXXXXX

Thranduil sighed as he stared into the fire. He hadn't felt like doing much else since the news of Legolas's capture reached him. He stood up quickly as a guard rushed into the room and turned to face him, hoping he was bringing news of Legolas's return. Instead he motioned for the elf lord to follow him. The guard led him outside where a woman was waiting. He stood still when he realized that she was a human, but she was obviously not unwelcome since none of the guards were more on their guard than usual.

"Welcome to Mirkwood," he said, walking towards her with a smile that he just didn't feel. "What brings you to our fair wood?"

The woman bowed low to the elf king. "My name is Irina, my lord," she said quietly standing up once again. "I'm… well I guess you could say I'm a friend of your son's… and of Estel."

"Legolas and Estel?" Thranduil asked, the confusion evident on his face. "When did you meet them?"

"About three days ago," she said her voice betraying her sadness.

"That's not possible," Thranduil said, crossing his arms in evident amusement. "Legolas has been… gone… for four days now and Estel has been here with me."

"He didn't tell you?" Irina asked, scared now of what the elf lord would say to her news.

"Tell me what?" Thranduil asked, beginning to be scared as well. He was sure that Aragorn was still in his room. He wouldn't have gone off again; he knows how Thranduil felt about last time…

"My lord," Irina said, fidgeting slightly. "Estel left to try and find Legolas."

"Start at the beginning," Thranduil said, his face growing paler as the implications of what she said began to sink in.

"Yes, my lord," she said, bowing again. "You see, it began like this…

XXXXXXXXXX

"And that's what happened, my lord," Irina finished, tears streaming down her cheeks at the memory. Thranduil cried out in horror at the thought of both of them being captured before collapsing on the flagstones.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Estel?" Legolas asked quietly. He looked around cautiously for Morohtar, but the creature had been gone for over half an hour now and it didn't look like he would be coming back. Not that he had to worry about his prisoners, Aragorn was still unconscious from his first feeding experience and Legolas was having trouble moving his legs. He suspected that Morohtar had drained more blood in his frenzy than he had intended. There was no chance that they could escape now, not unless Aragorn woke up and could carry him out of the cave.

"Estel?" he repeated a little louder, starting to worry. He knew the dangers of being unconscious as long as his friend had been and he was just hoping that Morohtar hadn't completely drained his friend. He just wished that he could reach him, but the evil creature had denied him even that small pleasure.

He watched his friend for a moment, hoping to be able to see if his chest was rising. But Aragorn was lying on his stomach, and, even with his elven eyesight, Legolas couldn't tell if his friend was still alive. He felt tears come to his eyes and he quickly brushed them away. He was not going to give Morohtar the pleasure of seeing his pain. He looked back at his friend and turned quickly away as memories of Gavin resurfaced unbidden. He had promised himself that he would never put his family in such a position of pain again, and now it was happening right in front of him.

He tried once again to reach his friend, but he was just out of his reach. Legolas knew that if his friend was awake, and could stretch out his arms and move himself forward, they would be able to reach each other. But Aragorn was till unconscious and the shackles around Legolas's wrists had already begun to cut into his skin. He could feel the warm blood dripping slowly down his arm. He pulled back from his friend, loosening the shackles in the process, and tried to think of a new plan.

From where he was tied, there was one ring where both his and Aragorn's chains were connected to the floor. He shook his chains slightly, not noticing before that they were loose and therefore could be moved to the other side, to where his friend was. Legolas knew now that he could reach his friend if he could just drag himself around to the other side. He tried to move his legs to push himself forward, but his legs would not move. He tried again, beginning to panic slightly, but still nothing happened.

He paused for a moment, trying not to panic too much, before foregoing the use of his legs and resorting to trying to drag himself using only his arms. It was slow going, but, finally, Legolas was next to Aragorn. He rolled his friend over so he could breathe easier and was relieved to see that Aragorn was still alive.

He took a moment to catch his breath and dragged his legs into a more comfortable position. He was trying not to panic too much, but, as an elf, he shouldn't be out of breath at all. He was also worried that he still couldn't feel or move his legs.

"Estel," he whispered quietly to his friend and resting beside him. "I need you to hear me and wake up. I need you to tell me it's okay." He waited for a moment, hoping his friend would wake up, but Aragorn remained motionless. Legolas sighed quietly in fear before pulled his friend's body closer and sleeping once more.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the delay, between college and NaNo I just haven't had any time to write… but I'm almost done with chapter 5 so you'll have more after this really soon.

Chapter 4

Elrond smiled slightly as he felt the warm morning sun shining across his face. He had had such a horrible dream, but knowing that he was now in his own bed made him feel much better. He kept his eyes closed for a moment longer, savoring the warmth and calm of his bed and enjoying the feel of the sun on his face.

He frowned and opened his eyes as he heard what sounded like a large group conversing outside his door. They seemed to be very agitated and worried, but he couldn't pick out any of their words. Too many of them were talking at once and he was just about to get up and find out what was going on when the door burst open and a very worried looking healer rushed into the room through the crowd.

Elrond glared at him as his face turned from one of worry to pure delight. He didn't find anything very delightful about being woken up by a crowd outside his door. He must have noticed the glare because his expression suddenly became stoic as he continued to walk calmly towards the bed.

"What is going on?" Elrond asked, crossing his arms as he sat completely up in bed.

"I'm sorry, my lord?" he asked.

"Why is there a crowd outside my door at this hour? And why are you here at all? I'm not sick or dying." He waited for him to give a reasonable answer, but he just fidgeted for a moment.

"You don't remember, my lord?"

"Remember what?" he asked as his nightmare came back to him, but he pushed it aside. He paused, obviously thinking about the best way to say whatever it was that Elrond was supposed to remember.

"Just say it, I'm not an infant."

He sighed. "My lord, your son and the ranger…" he paused again, not sure how to go on.

"What about them?" his nightmare returned again and a sinking feeling entered his stomach.

"They were captured by a creature in the forest," he said, looking away. "Legolas was taken while on a scouting mission and Aragorn was captured while trying to rescue him. They have been missing for five days now."

He sat up in bed as it all came back to him. If they had been missing for five days that meant that he had been unconscious for two and that was two days that he couldn't afford. If what Irina had said was true, then they didn't have much time. But first he had to find her so she could lead them to the cave.

"Where is Irina?" he asked, getting out of bed.

"Who?" he asked, trying to keep him in bed.

"Irina, the woman who brought me news of Legolas' capture." He pushed him away and walked towards the door only to be bombarded by the swarm of elves waiting outside his door and all vying for news of his well being. He spotted the captain of the guard in the corner on the fringe of the crowd and made his way towards him while the healer tried to get him back to bed. The captain saluted as he drew near and motioned to his men to disperse the crowd.

"Where is Irina?" Elrond asked, nodding to the salute.

"Who, my lord?" he asked, glancing at the healer to make sure he was in his right mind.

"The woman who brought me news of Legolas' capture."

The captain sighed, glad he wasn't insane. "She's in the dungeon, my lord."

"What? Why?" he asked already moving towards the dungeons.

The captain ran to keep up. "We didn't know what had happened, my lord. We saw her talking to you and then you were on the ground. We didn't know how she was involved either so we decided to detain her until you awoke."

Elrond didn't reply as he continued on towards the dungeons, his mind already thinking about the upcoming rescue mission. He grimaced as he came within sight of the door and sighed as he thought about Irina sitting alone for days in the dark. He grabbed a torch from a sconce on the wall and descended into the darkness. He could hear the drip of water off in the distance and the scuttle of tiny feet on the stone floor. He paused as he reached the bottom of the stairs and nodded to the guard on duty.

"I'm looking for the human woman named Irina," he said, glancing at the nearby cells. "I need you to take me to her immediately."

He nodded, confusion clouding his features before he grabbed the key ring from the wall and led the small group down a side corridor and further into the darkness. He made a mental note to destroy the dungeons after everything was over as the guard stopped at a lone cell at the end of the corridor. He had to concentrate on his breathing to keep himself from exploding at the cell that Irina was in. The initial cells had been cold, dark, and damp, but her cell was also smaller than all of the others. Elrond had to actually kneel down to see inside the door and what he saw almost made him cry. Irina was in a ball on the floor, her face and clothes covered in dirt and soaked from the giant puddle on the floor. He could see that her dress had been ripped in several places and a giant bruise covered most of the left side of her face and her shoulders.

"Unlock this door," Elrond said standing up. "Now!" The guard nodded and moved past him to unlock the door, the squeal of the hinges deafening them in the quiet of the darkness. He crouched to move inside the cell and flinched as Irina turned her tear-filled gaze on him. The hurt and pain and betrayal in her eyes stilled his movements and he took a deep breath before moving any closer.

She shied away as he held out his hand to her and the only imagine in his mind was a wounded, caged animal. He pulled it back and sighed as he looked at the floor. He stared at his reflection for a moment, noticing the tired and careworn features that marked his face. He remained this way for several moments until a voice startled him out of his reverie.

"Why are you here?" He looked up at Irina as spoke and tried not to grimace at the state she was in.

"I need your help," he said, looking into her eyes.

"Why? I tried to help you, and all it got me was a stay in this horrible pit." The disdain was evident in her voice as she spoke and Elrond flinched at her tone.

"I'm sorry, Irina. I never meant for this to happen to anyone. My guards simply got carried away... they were trying to protect me." Irina looked away, tears coming to her eyes as she saw the bruises on her arms.

"That doesn't mean I want to help you."

"No, it doesn't," he said as he inched closer to her. "But I know you want to, otherwise you would never have come here in the first place."

She looked up at him as he said this and sighed. "I can lead you to them." He smiled and nodded as he reached to help her up but she pulled her arm away. "But when this is over I never want to see you again. The only reason I am helping you is because of Legolas and Estel, my heart won't let me leave them there." Elrond nodded before backing out of the cell to give her room to leave.


	5. Chapter 5

Aragorn opened his eyes slowly, the throbbing in his head making his vision distorted and blurry. He looked over at Legolas and was happy to see that he was merely sleeping. He glanced up as Garmil and his men entered the cave, obviously pleased with whatever task they had just completed. Garmil was the first to notice that he was awake and smiled, a plan already forming in his mind about what he would do to him. Aragorn could see that in his eyes and it made him shiver slightly.

He glanced over at Legolas again as Garmil came towards him. He hoped he wouldn't wake up, but in his heart he knew he would and that the results would not be good. He just wished they would do whatever they were going to do quickly.

"Awake already?" Garmil asked with a smile. Aragorn had come to dread that smile, but he didn't let it show and he didn't say a word. "Not talking today? I think we can fix that," he finished as he nodded to someone standing behind him.

Aragorn struggled for only a moment before they managed to get his hands tied above his head. He could have beaten them all if he had been healthy and well rested, but between the beatings and Morohtar's feeding he was drained, both physically and emotionally, and he didn't stand a chance. He hung there for a moment before the beating actually started, and he wasn't expecting it. He had become used to Garmil's whip and one or two other's punching him, but instead it had been decided that the entire group should assault him at once.

Thirty men surged towards him, punching and kicking and doing anything they could to cause him as much pain as possible. But they weren't disorganized. Aragorn was hoping to pass out quickly, a quick punch to the back of the head or the temple would do, but instead they made sure to only punch him occasionally across the face and never in the head. They wanted him to stay awake and scream and beg and moan, but he wasn't going to give them that pleasure. He may have been drained and beaten but he still had his dignity. Unfortunately, dignity can only last so long.

It was his screams that finally woke Legolas. He had been having a dream that they were back home and he didn't want it to end. He knew that it was a dream because his mother was there and they were all happy and he knew that as soon as it ended he would be back in the cave, back in their own little corner of hell. But he wasn't expecting the sight that met his eyes when he opened them. He had hoped that he had dreamed that horrible scream, but Aragorn's face told him otherwise.

He tried to stand up, tried to fight his way through the crowd that were beating him senseless, but he still couldn't move his legs and it frustrated him to be so helpless. He tried and tried, but still they would not move. Garmil noticed his struggling and smiled as he realized his predicament. He nodded to a man standing next to him who walked over and kicked Legolas once in the ribs before unchaining him and hooking his hands above his head.

"Two captives are always better than one," Garmil said with a smile as the group expanded to include both Legolas and Aragorn. "And it means we can spread out the pain longer."

Legolas glanced over at Aragorn quickly, trying to give him some comfort before the group converged on them and the beatings started again. Aragorn was too far gone to stop his cries from echoing through the cave, but Legolas was not going to add to that. He knew that Aragorn was already suffering enough and he wasn't going to make him feel worse. But the punches just kept coming and he wasn't sure how much longer he could last.

It wasn't long however before Aragorn passed out next to him. He was glad he was no longer in pain, but it also meant that the entire group could focus on him. He tried to ignore the pain that was radiating through his body and threatened to overwhelm his senses, but it was no use. When the first small sob escaped his lips he didn't even notice, the pain was simply too much and he just hoped that he passed out soon with Aragorn. A sudden voice quelled all his hope, however, as Morohtar appeared out of the shadows.

"Garmil," he said as the men stepped away from him and Aragorn's unconscious body. "If you want to cause pain there are better, more subtle ways of doing it." He pulled out a whip as he said this let it slide along Legolas's back, watching as he shuddered under the touch. He let it drop before bringing it up and down hard on his back. A small red welt appeared across his shoulder blades and he had to bite his lip to keep from crying out, his body protesting the increased abuse. Suddenly a small sob escaped his lips as the pain got worse, welts overlapping welts until his entire back was a bloody mess.

He was hoping that the increase in pain would make him black out faster, but Morohtar was a master of torture and no matter how hard he whipped him he could not. He was too far gone, however, to stop his cries from echoing around the cave. He looked around him, trying to find something to distract him from his pain but all he could see were his torturers' smiling faces in a circle around him. He tried to see past them to Aragorn, but they wouldn't even allow him that small comfort.

Just as he felt he was finally going to pass out Morohtar stopped and put the whip back into his cloak, smiling as he walked around to stand where Legolas could see him. He watched as the crowd parted to show Aragorn still hanging from the ceiling. He was glad to see that he was no longer unconscious until he saw Morohtar pull a black vial out of his cloak. He watched as Aragorn's face changed from one of confusion to one of terror as he remembered the night in Gavin's dungeon.

_ "Do you know what this is?" Gavin asked as he waved it in front of Elrohir's face. The elf recoiled involuntarily at the mere sight of the foul liquid and Gavin laughed. "I guess you do know what it is." He said as he waved it in front of Elladan's face as well._

_ "Where did you get that?" Elrohir asked stonily, trying not to let the fear show in his face. Gavin laughed._

_ "Are you scared, elf?" Gavin asked as he waved the bottle in front of his face again._

_ "No." Elladan answered just as stonily as his twin. "Just curious."_

_ "Well if you really want to know…" Gavin said with a smile. "My boss should be the one to tell you."_

_ "Then he must have told you that it won't have the desired affect on us." Elrohir said._

_ "No, it won't." Gavin agreed, a smile spreading across his face. "But morgul poison works very well on humans."_

_ Elrohir felt his heart race in his chest and he couldn't speak for a moment. Elladan just looked angry and he stared at Gavin with fire in his eyes._

_ "You wouldn't dare." Elladan said icily._

_ "Would you like to test that theory?" Gavin asked as he walked over to the unconscious form of Aragorn. He uncapped the bottle and bent down next to one of the Ranger's more severe wounds._

_ "Stop!" Elrohir shouted desperately from where he was chained. "Please! We'll tell you anything just don't poison him!" Gavin smiled and he capped the bottle before setting it on the table._

_ "You promise to tell me anything and everything I want to know?" Gavin asked triumphantly. Elrohir dropped his head in defeat and nodded weakly._

_"No Elrohir!" Elladan cried out in Elvish from where he was chained. "You must not tell him anything, not even for Estel's sake."_

_ Elrohir picked his head up and stared at his brother with tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry muindor-nin." He mouthed silently. "But I cannot watch him go through morgul poisoning as well as everything else." He dropped his head again as Gavin motioned for the guards to remove Elladan from the cell._

_ "No!" Elladan cried as he was dragged from the room. "No, no, no! Elrohir…!" and then the room was plunged into silence once more, with only the sound of Aragorn's heavy breathing from the corner breaking it._

A sudden punch to the stomach brought Aragorn back to the moment. The pain from his abuse was starting to go to his head and his memories were starting to merge with reality. He watched as Morohtar merged with his image of Gavin and the cave melted into the dungeon of the castle and then everything changed back again. He tried to focus on the vial in his hand, but the pain radiating through his body was too great.

"Pay attention, elf!" Morohtar said as he dangled the vial in front of Legolas' face. "Or it is you who will receive this." Legolas struggled as he remembered.

"Why?" he asked as Morohtar moved away towards Aragorn.

"You mean, why would I poison my food supply?" he asked as he turned back towards him. "As incentive of course. I know your father doesn't have the antidote, and if he believes that I do he will bring the Ranger back himself to get it and will probably bring Elrond with him eventually. And then I will have all three of you as my never-ending food source."

"Morohtar," Garmil said from behind Legolas. "This one can't walk, we saw him trying and his legs don't work."

"Even better," he answered with a smile, moving forward. "This means we don't have to worry about him trying to escape."

With that he poured the vial into one of Aragorn's more serious wounds. Legolas watched, helpless, as he writhed in pain. His screams echoing around the cave before he finally passed out. Garmil nodded to his men who began on Aragorn again, the punches landing harder and faster than before. It wasn't long before he passed out, taking one last look at Aragorn's unconscious body before darkness claimed him once more.


	6. Chapter 6

Thranduil watched as the healers tended to Irina's various cuts and bruises. He stayed well enough away though, very much aware that she wanted nothing to do with any of them after what happened. He didn't blame her; she was going through the same feelings that he did after his son's were captured by Gavin. It took him a long time to get over what happened to them and to forgive the human race. In time, he hoped, she would come to forgive them. But for now he was going to give her space and time to heal.

He stood up as the healer finished, anxious to get started. He could only imagine what Aragorn and Legolas were going through, and from what Irina had told him before it was worse than with Gavin. She nodded to him as she walked towards him and he smiled slightly, trying to not show his impatience, before nodding to Arkin and his men to follow her out.

They had just reached the door of the castle, however, when a shout was heard from outside. Arkin called for a halt and pushed past Irina outside to see what was going on. He returned a short time later and motioned to Thranduil to follow him, the confusion evident on his face. Thranduil had no idea what was going on and honestly didn't care. He just wanted to leave to find his sons, but the sight that met his eyes when he walked out the door was unbelievable.

The sight before him was one of utter chaos. Guards were running every which way, some calling for the healers and other kneeling around a prone figure in the center of the courtyard. Arkin walked determinately towards the group and Thranduil followed behind him, studying a lone hunter hanging back on the edge of the crowd. He was a young man, obviously human, and he looked almost scared of all of the elves standing around him.

Concerned, Thranduil joined Arkin and was just about to ask about the hunter when he saw the figure in the center of the group. Aragorn was being turned onto his back by a group of healers. His hair was matted with blood from a gash to his temple, and his tunic was ripped and bloodied from multiple stab wounds and what appeared to be large claw marks.

"What happened?" Thranduil shouted, turning towards Arkin. "How did he get here? And where is Legolas?"

"Calm down, my lord," Arkin said as he pulled him away from Aragorn. "This hunter brought him in. I haven't had time to question him on any particulars, but he apparently found him unconscious in the woods and brought him here because it was closest." Thranduil took one last look at Aragorn before following him over to the hunter.

"What happened?" he asked before Arkin had any time to speak. "Where did you find him?"

"I was walking through the woods," he began, not looking him in the eye. "And he just crawled out of the bushes in front of me. I didn't know what to make of it at first, but he was obviously injured and I quickly tried to assess his injuries and help him up. That was just about a day ago now and he passed out sometime between then and hasn't woken up since."

"Morgul poisoning?" he asked, the terror evident in his voice.

The hunter paused, uncertain what was wrong. "That's what he said, I don't know what it is but those are the words he used."

"Jodar?" He turned as Irina came running down the steps of the palace, the anger showing on her face.

"Irina?" he asked in disbelief. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here!"

"Neither should you!" she said as she slapped him across the face. Thranduil looked back and forth between the two of them for a moment before it hit him.

"Jodar?" he asked turning to the hunter. "I remember Irina telling me about you, you are her husband and a member of Garmil's band. You're responsible for the capture of Legolas and Estel." He nodded to Arkin who motioned for his men to grab Jodar as he turned to run.

"Why, Irina?" he asked as they held him in place. "Why would you betray me like this?"

"For the same reason you betrayed me," she said with no emotion. "I will not allow anyone to be left in the condition I first saw Legolas." With that the guards dragged Jodar away for interrogation while Thranduil went back to check on Aragorn, hoping he was lying about the Morgul poisoning.


	7. Chapter 7

Legolas opened his eyes and looked around for Aragorn for what must have been the hundredth time, hoping that it had all been dream and that he wasn't all alone. But it wasn't and although he wasn't alone in the cave his companions weren't any comfort to him. Garmil and his men hadn't left since the beatings the night before and they were always ready to give him a new one every time he woke up, but they hadn't noticed him yet for which he was grateful. He was already having trouble moving and breathing and new from experience that he probably had a couple broken ribs and a few fractures in other places.

Garmil was the first to notice that he was awake and smiled, a plan already forming in his mind about what he would do to him. Legolas could see that in his eyes and it made him shiver slightly.

"Awake already?" Garmil asked with a smile. Legolas had come to dread that smile, but he didn't let it show and he didn't say a word. "Not talking today? I think we can fix that," he finished as he nodded to someone standing behind him.

Legolas struggled for only a moment before they managed to get his hands tied above his head again. He had given up trying to fight a long time ago, he knew that it was no use and without Aragorn there he had nothing to fight for. Both physically and emotionally and he didn't stand a chance. He hung there for a moment before the beating actually started, something he had come to expect and waited for.

Thirty men surged towards him, punching and kicking and doing anything they could to cause him as much pain as possible. But they weren't disorganized. Legolas was hoping to pass out quickly, a quick punch to the back of the head or the temple would do, but instead they made sure to only punch him occasionally across the face and never in the head. They wanted him to stay awake and scream and beg and moan, but he wasn't going to give them that pleasure. He may have been drained and beaten but he still had his dignity.

He clamped his mouth shut as a scream threatened to escape him. That was the one thing he had the strength to resist still and he was going to try and keep his honor and dignity as long as possible. But strength of will can only last so long when there is no strength left in the body and soon his screams were echoing around the cave, blocking out all other sounds around him.

Another punch to the stomach brought him back to the moment and he noticed Morohtar standing in the corner with a smile on his face. Legolas knew what he was thinking just by looking at his face, he enjoyed the sight of all of that blood everywhere. He was probably feeding on him while he was unconscious. He pushed that thought aways as another punch to the head sent him spinning.

"I have great plans for you and your family," Morohtar said, shaking him back into the moment. Legolas tried to focus on him, but his vision kept wavering,

"Estel," Legolas moaned, staring off into the back of the cave. Garmil laughed as a quick kick to the stomach knocked all the wind out of him and he spiraled into unconsciousness.

XXXXXXXXXX

Thranduil sighed as he looked down at Aragorn's pale, lifeless body. The healer's had done as much as they could with him but still he hadn't woken up and it scared him. He knew he didn't have an antidote for Morgul poisoning which meant he was going to have to bring him back to the cave, the one place he really didn't want to have to take him to. He took one last look at him before leaving the room, making sure to leave explicit instructions with the healers to find him when he woke up, before heading back down to the dungeons to see how Arkin was coming with Jodar.

He paused for a moment as he descended the stairs, the silence was almost overwhelming and it worried him. He should have been able to hear something in the darkness but all he could hear was the slow drip of water somewhere in the depths of the dungeons. He proceeded slowly; looking around him for the attack that he knew would be coming. But nothing came and he continued on towards the dungeon where Jodar was being kept.

He paused outside the cell, listening for any sounds from within and was surprised to still hear none. He peered around the corner and gasped at the sight that met his eyes. Arkin was lying on the ground, a small pool of blood forming around his head. He rushed into the cell and gingerly turned him over, trying to find a pulse and was relieved to find a faint one. He placed his limp body gently on the ground and pulled the dagger he kept at his belt, looking around for Jodar who was no longer contained in the cell. He knew there was no way he could have gotten out of the castle without being seen and since the alarm hadn't been raised he must still be nearby.

He took one last look at Arkin before leaving the cell, looking around for Jodar. He knew he had to raise the alarm and get the healers down to tend to Arkin. But he also wanted to find him before he got to Irina. If that happened, there was no way he was going to be able to rescue Legolas and get the antidote to Aragorn in time.

After what seemed like hours, Thranduil finally made it to the stairs. He took one last look around the dungeon before ascending into the main hall of the castle. He had scoured the dungeons as best he could and had found no trace of Jodar. He knew that that could only mean he had had help escaping, and it would also explain how Arkin was overpowered and injured. If someone had come up behind him he would have stood no chance. One quick blow to the back of the skull would have been enough to stun him and then another couple of blows while he was done would have done him in. With Arkin knocked out they would have had all the time in the world to unchain Jodar and get him outfitted in a cloak or disguise of some sort. Then all they had to do was escort him out of the castle. And Thranduil had a pretty good idea who was behind this.

He informed the guards what had happened and watched as the healers and guards rushed down into the dungeons, glad that Arkin was going to be taken care of. He had to go see Irina though, and he wasn't sure he would be able to control his emotions when he got there. He paused at Aragorn's room on the way and sighed. Elrond was going to kill him.

He jerked back to reality as a healer gently touched him on the shoulder; he smiled slightly at him before moving out of the way so he could tend to Aragorn. He took one last look at him before walking away, his mind already set on the task ahead of him.


	8. Chapter 8

Legolas kept his eyes closed, trying to hear some comforting sound from outside the cave. Even the sound of a lone song bird would have sounded like a heavenly chorus to him, but the only sounds were the crackle of the fire in front of him and the drip of water behind him. Garmil and his men hadn't left the cave since Aragorn was taken away and it worried him. He didn't know who had taken him or even how many days it had been. For all he knew he had been gone for a week and was already dead or close to it.

"_Stop it," _he thought sternly, still keeping his eyes closed. _"You can't think like that."_ He knew from past experience that thoughts like those could kill a person. They drain all hope and leave only despair in their wake, so much so that death seems like the only option. But death wasn't an option for him.

He was jerked out of these thoughts, however, by a swift kick to the stomach. He opened his eyes as he gasped for breath, trying to curl in on himself even as he remained suspended from the ceiling. He glared at Garmil who only smiled at the obvious pain on his face. He and his men were getting bored just waiting for Thranduil and Aragorn to come to them and they needed something to do. Luckily for them, Legolas provided them with an endless source of entertainment and sport.

_Just as Garmil was about to start with another beating, Morohtar appeared out of the shadows. Legolas didn't know where he went when he wasn't in the cave, but he always seemed to appear at the worse moments. And it was these moments that he dreaded more than any others. He walked over to him and pulled a long, multi-tailed whip from his cloak. He shuddered slightly as he saw the small barbed balls hanging from the end of each of the tails._

"_Let's start off easy, shall we?" Morohtar said as he circled in front of him. "I wonder if your father is lost. Shall we give him something to follow?"_

_Legolas said nothing as he stared at the menacing looking whip. He was not looking forward to becoming acquainted with it as well._

"_No?" he said as he stood in front of him. He ran the tip of the whip across his shoulder blades and watched as he unconsciously shivered from the contact. _

Morohtar smiled at his reaction and brought the whip down across his back. He arched under the intense pain of the nine tails racking across his back. It was ten times worse than anything he had ever felt before and it took all of his will power not to cry out.

He paused for a moment, allowing the pain to seep in before bringing the whip down again across his back. He whimpered and arched again as the pain in his back increased. He could feel the blood flowing down and he bit back the tears that threatened to come from the intensity of the pain.

"I need you to be just a little bit louder," Morohtar said as he brought the whip down across his back again. He gasped for breath as the pain overwhelmed his senses. The tears began to come unbidden as he fought to catch his breath. His vision wavered for a moment and his only thought was that he hoped unconsciousness came soon. He had never felt such pain before in his life.

But his whimper only made Morohtar laugh as he brought the whip down over and over again until he couldn't take it any longer and he let out one long scream of pain. But even that wasn't enough to knock him out and he continued to scream, losing all sense of reality and time. The only sound that he could hear was his scream echoing around the cave and he thought that it was Aragorn's. He looked around, confused, trying to find where his friend was and forgetting that he was the one screaming.

He looked up as Garmil moved in front of him. He noticed that Morohtar had stopped the whipping and he took the small reprieve to catch his breath. He hated himself for being so weak. He didn't know how long he had been screaming but it wasn't long before the whipping started again and this time it only took one hit to start the screaming again.

Morohtar gave him one finally hit with the whip and he finally spiraled into unconsciousness, his limp body still hanging from the ceiling where Morohtar knew Thranduil would be able to see it.

XXXXXXXXXX

Thranduil paused outside Irina's door. No matter what she might have done, he still needed to her to take him to wherever Legolas was. He knocked quickly, opening the door after a quick assent from inside. He looked around at the tiny room, anything was better than the dungeon but he still wished he had a better room to offer her.

He sighed as she turned to look at him before beginning. "Jodar has escaped," he said trying to gauge her reaction. "Someone attacked Arkin and helped him out of the palace."

"Is Arkin okay?" she asked her face remaining stoic.

"He's alive," he said, closing the door. "But I don't know for how much longer." The healers had told him that Arkin would be fine in a couple of hours but Irina didn't need to know that. He had seen what a huge heart she had and if she believed she might have killed him he knew she would be more cooperative.

"You're lying," she said, sounding slightly worried.

"No, I'm not," he said, glad to see he was getting to her. "Whoever attacked him hit him in the wrong spot too hard. He has massive head injuries and the healers said something about his brain swelling." He paused to let it sink in. "Did you have anything to do with it?"

"He's my husband!" she screamed, tears coming to her eyes. "No matter what he might have done I still love him! I couldn't just leave him down there… I just couldn't. I know what happened to your wife. If she was left in a dungeon you would do anything to save her… wouldn't you?"

Thranduil started. He hadn't been expecting questions and he hadn't been expecting explanations, but he knew she was right. He knew what it was like to lose a loved one.

"I'm sorry," Irina said, shaking him out of his reverie. He turned as she put her hand on his shoulder. "I shouldn't have compared them, but I still couldn't just leave him down there."

"I understand," Thranduil said with a sigh. "Will you still help me save them?" She nodded, looking into his eyes to try and remove the pain her comments had brought up. She didn't really hate him, no matter what he might think.

"Is Arkin really that bad?" she asked as he opened the door for her.

Thranduil laughed. "I'm sorry about that," he said with a slight smile. "He's fine. The healers said he would be up and about in a couple of hours." Irina smiled back at him before following him down the hallway to Aragorn's room.


	9. Chapter 9

Thranduil shivered as a cool breeze brushed past him. The sun hadn't risen above the trees yet and the forest was silent as he prepared to set out. He stroked his horse as he looked around at the guards that were accompanying him and noticed Irina standing in the back of the group, obviously struggling to get her horse under control. He grimaced as he realized the guards were pointedly ignoring her and strode back to help, handing his reigns to Arkin as he passed.

He grabbed the reigns from Irina and calmed the horse down, stroking its nose and whispering to it. Irina just looked at him, confusion evident on her face. But Thranduil knew she was not going to ask, and he handed the reins back to her with a smile before grabbing his own from Arkin and mounting. He motioned for her to join him up front and called the guards together as they prepared to leave, uncertain of what they might find.

He took one last look at the back of the group and was glad to see that Arkin had taken over the horse carrying Aragorn. The ranger was still unconscious and, while it worried Thranduil, he also knew that it was the only thing keeping Aragorn from screaming in excruciating pain. And that was something they could not afford if they wanted to stay hidden.

When he was satisfied that everything was in order he called for the group to move out and smiled slightly as the sun began to peak over the trees. Irina took the lead and seemed confident in where she was going, which was one less thing he had to worry about. Although he didn't want to admit it, he had begun to question whether or not she really knew where the cave was. But her confidence chased all that away and he concentrated instead on where they were going.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was mid-day before they finally made it to a clearing where they could rest. Travel had been slower than anyone would have liked, but with Arkin struggling to keep Aragorn's unconscious body upright and stable on his horse they had had to slow down the pace significantly. The only good thing about this was that Thranduil was able to formulate a plan of some kind before they got to the cave. Although it wasn't much of a plan, it made him feel better knowing he had one instead of running into the cave blind.

"I'm going ahead," he said to Arkin as he dismounted. "I want to see what we're up against." Arkin nodded once and Thranduil set out towards the cave.

Thranduil sighed as the sun slowly set beyond the distant mountains, casting the forest into darkness. He watched it for a moment and then set out towards the cave where his son was being held captive. He slowed as he approached the side and stuck his head slightly around the corner, dimming his elven glow so the guards wouldn't notice him. He watched as a lone guard, a man too young for the position, paced warily in front of the entrance. Thranduil knew it would be easy to subdue the guard, but after that he didn't know what he was going to do. Walking through the front was out of the question, yet there weren't any other options that he could see.

He slipped back around to the side and looked to see if there were any other ways in from that side that he had missed earlier. He was about to give up when his sharp elven hearing picked up the sounds of someone screaming close by. He followed the sound to a small air vent set in the wall, barely big enough for Thranduil to look through. He hissed in anger at the scene that met his eyes and quickly got up, more determined than ever to find a way in at all costs.

Legolas groaned and shook his head to try and clear his vision. But the guard next to him punched him in the side of the head before he could finish. Black spots danced in front of his eyes and he closed them against the dizziness it caused. He had just woken up from Morohtar's most recent assault and he was starting to feel the effects.

Morohtar hissed at his side and grabbed his hair and jerked him up, causing his pain-filled eyes to open up slightly. A soft moan escaped his lips and Morohtar smiled as his eyes settled on him, not quite seeing the creature in front of him.

Suddenly there was a cry from the entrance and a guard ran in, breathing heavily. "My lord," he said, coming to a stop and saluting Morohtar.

"This had better be important…" he said, dropping Legolas' head roughly.

"I'm sorry my lord," the guard said, eyeing the elf warily. "But it seems there is an intruder in the forest somewhere, maybe more than one. They knocked out Brelin at the entrance." Morohtar scowled and motioned to one of the guards standing next to Legolas.

"Go with him," he said. "Find the intruder, but use caution. If it's who I think it is I want him alive!" The guards nodded and saluted again before quickly exiting the room.

"Now," he continued. "Where were we? Oh yes!" And with that he pulled out a knife and shoved it roughly into Legolas' leg, dangerously close to the bone. He cried out, unable to contain the sobs that racked his body through his pain-filled consciousness.

XXXXXXXXX

Thranduil slowed as he prepared to round another corner, listening for any signs of the guards that he knew were trying to track him. Hearing nothing he crept down towards the cave entrance.

Thranduil winced as the screams got more intense. He had recognized a while ago that the screams were coming from Legolas and his heart went out to him as the screams continued unabated. He was frustrated that the rescue was taking so long and worried at what his presence was costing his son.

_/"This is ridiculous!"/ _he thought in anguish as he came within sight of the entrance.

The screams abruptly stopped, and Thranduil hoped that it meant that Legolas had merely passed out. Unfortunately, that also made his task harder than it already was. Suddenly, his sharp elven hearing picked up the sound of someone approaching and he immediately moved off to the side, hiding himself behind a tree. He peered out of the shadows at the small human who passed by him and he took the opportunity to get inside and jumped out at the man. He grabbed the startled guard around the neck, holding his hunting knife tightly against the man's throat.

"If you want to live you will take me to my son," he hissed in the man's ear, pressing the knife down harder to show that he wasn't kidding. The man tensed under his touch and nodded to show that he would cooperate.

"Good," Thranduil said, pushing the human in front of him. The man nodded and continued towards the entrance. He followed the man down into the bowels of the cave, hoping that he wasn't too late to save his son.

XXXXXXXXXX

Legolas closed his eyes and fought back the tears that threatened to spill over. He had been through too much and now he was sure that Aragorn at least was not going to make it. He almost wished that his father wouldn't come because he knew that there was no way the two of them would be able to make it out of the cave while avoiding guards. And if it came to a fight they would stand no chance.

A sudden noise outside from the entrance made Legolas look up, he was hoping that the guards were just checking to make sure he was still hanging there. But his hopes were dashed as he saw one of the guards come into view. He closed his eyes tightly and waited for the rough assault he knew was coming.

"Legolas?" a soft voice spoke into the dimness of the cave, Legolas stifled another sob. Now they were trying to be cruel to him. Pretending to be kind and torturing him beyond what he could handle. A soft touch on his shoulder made him flinch and he tried to curl in on himself and away from his tormentor.

"_Man carnen achen, ion-nin?_ What happened to you, my son?_" _Thranduil whispered in horror pulled out his knife to cut him down. Legolas slowly lifted his head at the sound of the elvish words and started at the sight of his father kneeling before him.

"Ada?" he asked in disbelief. "_Man cerich hi? _What are you doing here?"

He chuckled. "_Ni sí an edraith achen._ I'm here to save you."

"You should not be here," Legolas continued as he dropped roughly to the ground with a wince. "It is too late already and you do not need to die as well."

Thranduil sighed. "_Lasto beth nin, ion-nin, pân natha mae._ Listen to me, my son, it will be alright," he said with an encouraging smile. "We will escape and save Aragorn."

"He was poisoned with morgul poisoning, Ada," Legolas said with a slight sob.

Thranduil looked him straight in the eye, wishing he could remove all of the pain that was there. "I will get the antidote and I will save him, but first we have to leave. How bad is your leg?"

He sighed. "I can't put any weight on it, he cut me too deep." Thranduil nodded. This was going to be harder than he thought.

Thranduil sat beside Legolas and brooded over their current predicament. He had thought long and hard over how to escape but everytime he looked at him he dismissed his plans as too hard for him to bear. He just looked too weak to be of any use.

"Legolas," Thranduil said. "Is it possible for you to walk at all?" He had been afraid to ask before, afraid to put too much pressure on him, but he had no other choice at the moment.

He looked at his father for a moment, trying to gauge his strength. "I'm not sure," he said, looking down at his leg. "I'll try though."

Thranduil smiled. He nodded as he stood up, shaky after not being able to stand on his own for so long. He stumbled slightly before straightening up and looking at Thranduil.

"I can do it," he said. He seemed almost disgusted by his weakened body, but Thranduil merely sighed and stood up next to him.

"Do not worry about it, _ion-nin_," he said, looking into his eyes. "I did not expect you to be able to, but we have no time to lose. If we are going to save Aragorn we have to leave now." Legolas nodded once before hobbling after him towards the entrance.

XXXXXXXXXX

They quietly snuck down the hallway, making sure to watch for the guards they both knew were out looking for Thranduil. He looked back at Legolas and sighed mentally as he watched him wincing at every step. Normally that would have been no problem for him, but after not eating or drinking for days his strength was severely depleted.

Thranduil sighed again and continued down the hallway, trying to keep his senses alert for any sound of the guards. He couldn't understand why they hadn't run into any yet. Legolas had told him that Morohtar knew he was there, so where were all they? He smiled as he rounded another corner and saw the main entrance straight in front of them. They stopped suddenly however as a new thought occurred to him. Legolas stopped behind him and put his hand on his shoulder, a questioning look on his face.

"What is it Ada?" he asked, looking around to see what had made Thranduil stop.

"It's too easy," he said, looking around for a trap. "Morohtar knows I'm here and yet he doesn't have guards at the entrance? And we didn't see a single person on our way here… why?"

Legolas nodded, realizing what he was saying. "Do you think it is a trap?" he asked, motioning towards the entrance.

"I do," he said, trying to think of another means of escape. "But I don't know of another escape route." Legolas paused before motioning Thranduil to follow him back into the cave.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Ada," Legolas said as he paused outside a dark corridor Thranduil hadn't noticed before. "Maybe this leads out. Morohtar is always coming from here.

Thanduil peered inside and nodded, leading the way and drawing his sword. They walked for what seemed like ages in the dark before they finally came to a door. Thranduil paused before pushing it open and peering inside. There was a single candle burning on a table, but otherwise the room appeared to be empty.

They entered the room and paused as they noticed the cot in the corner. Thranduil moved cautiously towards the lump on it and started as he realized Morohtar's head was all that was there. Legolas moved up behind him.

"What do you think happened?" he asked as he gazed with satisfaction at the head.

"I don't know," he said looking around again. "But I think we should grab the antidote and leave." And with that they grabbed the vial and left the room and the cave forever.

XXXXXXXXXX

Aragorn moaned he began to regain consciousness. He kept his eyes closed and noticed that there was light on the other side of them. He frowned, knowing there was no light in the cave, and thought for a brief moment that he had died. He opened his eyes slowly and was surprised to see Legolas lying next to him. He frowned as he tried to remember what had happened when he noticed the giant bandage on Legolas' leg.

"Wha…?" he began, sitting up. Legolas cut him off however as he grabbed him in a tight embrace, knocking all of the air out of his lungs.

"Legolas!" Thranduil said as he turned the corner and saw Aragorn's face began to turn blue. "You're smothering him, let him go already." Legolas grinned sheepishly before letting go of him as he gasped for air.

Once he had regained his breath he took a moment to look at his surroundings and realized he was in Legolas' room. "How did I get here?" he asked. "And how did you hurt your leg?"

They just looked at each other and grimaced as they began to tell Aragorn all about their adventures after he passed out, ending by telling him about Thranduil's rescue and subsequent healing of him. Aragorn sighed with anguish at their torture. Thranduil merely smiled and handed him a cup of tea.

"You two need to leave him alone," he said with a disapproving look. "He has just barely survived Morgul poisoning and needs to sleep. Now go." They smiled at each other before Legolas got off the bed and limped out of the room.

Aragorn smiled at the Thranduil and took the cup of tea gratefully before draining the entire cup. He smiled at him before sleep began to take hold of him again.

_/"It's good to be home,"/_ he thought with a sigh as he drifted off to sleep.


End file.
